One of the most frustrating aspects about curve-o-phobia is not just how it results in eating disorders and other desperately serious matters, but also how it can ruin a girl's quality of life even when she's trying to do something fun.

I still remember the case of pretty Ashley Kauffman, who attended an American Idol taping, only to be ejected from her front-row seat because she was deemed too curvy to appear on TV.

Now a news story out of Iowa is showing how that kind of anti-plus prejudice permeates even local entertainment.

Like a lot of college women, Jordan Ramos likes to have a fun night out with friends.

But two recent outings to the Union Bar in downtown Iowa City quickly turned sour after she says she was discriminated against because of her weight.

Ramos, a 21-year-old University of Iowa student from West Liberty, said she has visited the bar twice in the past two months with friends.

Both times, she was stopped by security guards from dancing on a platform overlooking the dance floor, she said.

When she asked the security guards why they wouldn’t allow her onto the platform after her friends and others had been permitted, Ramos said they told her it was because she “was not pretty enough”

The article comes with a picture of Miss Ramos. She's certainly "pretty enough," but she's also curvy, which is really what made the guards discriminate against her:

Now, it's true that there are more important things in the world than being able to dance on a platform at a bar, but that's not the point. The point is, she wanted to enjoy herself the way the underweight girls do, and the pervasive prejudice against curves stopped her.

Plus, it gets worse. This story has been picked up by the Daily Mail and ABC News, which filed the following report:

Ramos approached the Human Rights Commission in Iowa City, but the organization told her they could not do an investigation because size discrimination is not illegal by law, Ramos said.

And that is simply unjust. Whatever one thinks of Human Rights Commissions in general and their abuses, the bottom line is that if discrimination is illegal, then all discrimination must be illegal, including size discrimination. To say that some forms of discrimination are legal and others are not is unfair and immoral.

Furthermore, many cases of so-called "discrimination" are anything but, and are cases where complainants assert discrimination where none exists, and where exclusion happens for other reasons, justifiable ones, such as an absence of talent or ability. But in this case, the discrimination is clear and undeniable.

The owner of the bar accused of discrimination against a 'plus sized' customer has apologised for any offence caused to a University of Iowa student.

In an effort to stop a planned protest outside the Union Bar in Iowa City this Friday, owner George Wittgraf has issued a statement after Jordan Ramos, 21, was prevented dancing on the bar at the establishment by a bouncer.

'If something was said to Miss Ramos, I am truly sorry. I would like to apologise for that,' said Wittgraf.

Nobody would admit to it, obviously, but we had a big meeting to make sure that we're not disrespectful.

'We can't be mean to people. It's bad business.'

Following the organisation of Friday's protest and the country-wide attention that Ramos' story had brought on the bar, the establishment's policy seems to have changed.

Apparently employees are now allowing anyone to dance on the bar.

As Renata said, the issue is not whether this particular battle is such a significant one, or whether the goal was meritorious.

The point is, this is a case of blatant size discrimination, and it was ended through the power of the press -- which, for once, was on the right side, and used its power for good.

Now, the question immediately becomes: Why did the bad publicity compel this establishment to change its policies, whereas similar outcries have had no effect on the fashion industry?

Simple. This establishment makes its money off its patrons, so it can't afford to alienate them.

Fashion magazines, on the other hand, make their money off of advertisers, not readers. So unless those advertisers exert pressure to stop curve-o-phobia, the fashion world will continue to discriminate against full-figured women.

At any rate, while this may have been a small victory, it was a victory nonetheless, and will hopefully inspire other curvy girls to combat weight bigotry wherever they see it.